Automatic folding crossing gate



Dec. 4, 1928.

J. M. WILLIAMS AUTOMATIC FOLDING CROSSING GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1927 ATTO R N EY WITNESS:

Dec. 4, 1928.

J. M.W1LLIAMS AUTOMATIC FOLDING CROSSING GATE Filed July 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mu 7 w M R v w 4. w .v\ Q Q K w g m,

ATTO RN EY WXTNESS:

Patented Dec, 4, 1928.

STATES JAMES IVL WILLIAIVIS, OF SANDFORD, FLORIDA.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING CPJOSSING GATE.

Application filed July 29,

This invention relates to a railroad grade crossing and is designed to provide an automatic gate of novel design which wi l be automatically operable on the approach and withdrawal of train from the neighborhood of the crossing. The gate itself is made of a soft- :fi" :ible material guided in tubular guides on a vertical arc n spanning the line of vehicular tratlic and is suspended from a pulley by a flexible rope or the like secured to a rotary standard fixed at the side of the The standard is connected witha surroun ling helical spring, one end o1 which is secured to a fixed post, the other end being. secur id to a pulley by which the spring may be put under tension and automatically latched under tension. A determinate distance in front and behind the gate on the track are track instruments controlling the movements of the gate, On approach of a train the for ward wheels operate the track instrument, which by a flexible cable rotates the rotatable standard and lowers the gate so as to impede vehicular traiiic and simultaneously puts the spring under compression and latches it. On reaching a determinate distance on the other side or" the gate the train operates another track instrument connected by flexible means with the latch for the spring and releases its stored power to raise the gate and permit the passage of traffic.

My invention therefore consists of an automatic gate of flexible openwork collapsible material guided vertically in an arch at the crossing by tubular guides and raised and lowered automatically by approaching and withdrawing trains. It consists also of a gate of this general character operated by a rotatable standard at the side of the track, carrying a pulley at the top for raising and lowering the gate and at the bottom a small pulley leading to a track instrument to lower the gate and put tension on the spring and automatically latch the spring under compression so that on transit of the train the stored power of the spring may raise the gate again and permit tratlic at the crossing.

It embodies also other more specific features, the novelty of which will be more fully hereinafter described and will be definitely indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention Figure 1 is a side elevation of a crossing gate embodying my improvements.

Flgure 2 1s a top plan vlew of the same.

1327 fierial N0. 299,32

e 3 is a sectional view on the plane f Figure l.

lgure i: s a horizontal. section on the plane .;ure 3.

is a Vertical section on the plane 're 1.

elevation and track instruing. In sliding relation a "ch are a plurality of tubular guides 2, 2

etc. (in the inside of the arch secured in the guides 2 are eyes on which 3 may be supported, from the lower side or which chains are dependent flexible open work ropes l or the like which form a very light form of gate adapted to reciprocate vertically in the sides of the arch. Supported on the arch centrally is a support for the small pulley 5 to form a'guide for a cable 6, the end. of which is secured in a grooved pulley 7 of suilicient size to raise the gate by a partial turn of a vertical rotary standard 8 having a thrust bearing in a metallic base 9 steadied by a bracket from a post 10 formed of channel iron bolted in a vertical position on a base at the surface of the ground. The bracket 11 bolted at the top of the channel iron 10 forms a vertical guide for the rotary'stan ard 8, as indicated at 12 in Figure 1. A coil spring 13 of sutlicient power to raise the incloses the standard 8 and one end of which is secured to a fixed bracket bolted to the standardlO, the other end being fixed to a pulley let keyed to the shaft. A flexible cord 15 is firmly secured in the groove of the pulley l4 and is carried thence over a horizontal pulley 16 and passes forward over another small pulley 17 mounted on a cross tie of the rails and thence over a pulley carried by a pivoted lever 18 and secured inan eye at a point beyond the pivotal point. This track instrument carries an arm 19 secured to a cross pin 20 (see Figure 5) supported in brackets beneath the rail base on which is fixed the pivotal arm 18 at the outside of the rail. The arm 19 is atsuch an angle that it normally lies above the plane of the flange of a wheel so that on the approach of a train the weight of the engine will depress the arm, communicating motion is a vertical section on the plane to the flexible connection, rotating the pulley 14 and connected standard 8, and winding the cord 6 over the pulley 7, thereby straining and latching the spring and lowering the gate. The rotation of the standard 8 tensions the spring and at the close oi the movement a collar 21 is rotated until a notch 22 comes into alignment with a dog 23 on a bell crank lever 24 (see Figure 3), to which a small tension spring 25 effects automatic latching relation when the notch comes into alignment by movement of the standard 8 with the notch 28. This effects the locking of the gate in closed position, the tensioning or" the spring and latching the same, and when the train,

reaches the other side of the crossing a determinate distance a cooperating track instrument, such as shown in Figure 6, acts upon the flexible connection 26 (see Figures 1 and 2), withdr wing the latch end of the bell crank lever 24 by raising the dog 2-5, thereby releasing the stored energy of the spring 13 and raising the gate. The track instrument last men ioned is somewhat similar in construction to the one already described,

being similarly mounted on the underside of the rail with a lined arm 2'? raised to a vertical position when the gate is closed by approach of a train and which, after a determinate distance of the traintrom the crossing, is automatically depressed by the flange ot' a wheel and communicates its motion to release the spring and raise the gate.

A. modified form of track instrument is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 in which is shown a slotted bell crank lever 28 which is pivoted on a post riveted under the head of trip the spring.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an automatic grade crossing gate light weight and capable of being raised and low ered so as to be flexible and not liable to injure any person or vehicle in its descent, and capable of being automatically raised and lowered by thepassage of trains to protect the crossing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic crossing flexibly supported centrally of an arch before the crossing, comprising a foldable openwork fabric guided on sleeves slidable on the arch, automatic track instruments a determinate dis tance at the sides of the crossing, flexible means for operating the gate, a lever on the track instrun'ient operated by a passing train and connected with said flexible means, a

rotatable spring pressed standard at the side of the arch to lower the gate on approach of a train and raise the same when it passes.

2. An automatic gate for a railway grade crossing, comprising a light-weight gate movable in sleeves on the sides of an arch at the crossing, a vertical rotatable standard at the side of the arch, a track instrument a determinate distance in advance of the crossing to rotate the standard and lower the gate, means for simultaneously latching a spring to store power to raise the gate, and a tracrt instrument a determinate distance beyond the crossing to release the stored en rgy in the spring and automatically raise the gate.

3. An automatic gate for a grade crossing, comprising an arch in front of the crossing, sleeves slidable in its sides, a rotatable stand ard at the side, a spring adapted to raise the gate, a track instrument operated by an approaching train to lower the gate and simultaneogsly' wind the spring, a latch to hold it wound, and a second track instrument beyond the crossing to release the latch, whereby the stored energy of the spring acts to raise the gate and permit transit of traflic.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JAMES M. WILLIAMS. 

